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'Gilmore Girls' star Scott Patterson reveals what to expect in 'I Am All In' podcast

Patterson shared some of his favorite moments as Luke Danes in an interview with TODAY.
/ Source: TODAY

Scott Patterson is all in.

The “Gilmore Girls” star recently announced he’ll be revisiting all 154 episodes of the beloved series (plus the four-part Netflix revival) for his new podcast.

Patterson, who played curmudgeonly diner proprietor Luke Danes for seven seasons, says he’ll be watching most of the series for the first time — he’s previously only seen the pilot, and the “Winter” installment of 2016’s “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”

“I just don't like to watch myself,” he explained in an interview with TODAY. “Typical actor thing. Makes me very uncomfortable.”

The podcast, “I Am All In,” takes its name from Luke’s memorable declaration to Lorelai in season five, and Patterson thinks it’s an apt reference.

“I wanted to pick something that was going to get right to the heart of the fans — as far as the character was concerned,” he said. “And also their commitment to the show. Because they have been all in since the beginning.”

"Gilmore Girls" stars Scott Patterson and Lauren Graham
"Gilmore Girls" star Scott Patterson will revisit memorable moments from Luke's relationship with Lorelai in his new podcast.Netflix

That scene is, of course, one of the ones Patterson is most excited to explore on the podcast. Another is Luke’s first kiss with Lorelai (Lauren Graham) in season four.

“There was only one time I was really nervous on set — when we were preparing to do the first kiss,” he recalled. “And, you know, 'cause Lauren and I both wanted to get it right. And there's so many traps set up for a situation like that in an acting sense, where you can either do too little or too much. So, the nervousness from both of us was, ‘Man, gosh, I hope we get this right.’ Or I don't pull her in too fast, or kiss her too hard, you know? Like, and then you just sort of lean back on your training and your instincts. Like, ‘Hey, how do I feel about this person?’ How does Luke feel about her? How would he react in this moment? And I'm very proud of what we did. Because I thought it had intensity, yet it was soft and tender.”

Patterson is also looking forward to discussing some of the season two moments Luke shared with nephew Jess (Milo Ventimiglia).

“I really like the episode where I push Milo in the lake,” he said, adding that he also enjoyed the scene where Luke takes a sledgehammer to his apartment's wall and tells Jess, “That’s your room. Finish up. We’ll hold hands and skip afterward.”

“I enjoyed making them all, but especially that one, 'cause finally there was something physical to do instead of, like, spitting out a million words per second.”

Scott Patterson and Milo Ventimiglia in "Gilmore Girls"
Some of Patterson's favorite "Gilmore Girls" moments involve confrontations between Luke and nephew Jess.Warner Bros / Everett Collection

Rumors have swirled about the possibility of more “Gilmore Girls” episodes, and Patterson already has one storyline in mind for future iterations of the show.

“I would really like the character to explore the relationship with his own father,” he said. “‘Cause nobody knows anything about him. And you know, I've obviously done my homework on it. And you know, I have my thoughts and feelings about it. But I think that would really deepen the character and add dimension to character, something I always wanted to do. His mother and his father. So yeah, that would be my No. 1 ask of the writers room.”

Patterson said the “Gilmore Girls” reference fans quote back the most is his flannel-clad character’s ban on cellphones.

“If I'm on my cellphone, I get it a lot,” he said. “And people will point at me and go, ‘I'll kick you out of here. Ha ha ha, you get off your cellphone.’ And I'm, like, ‘Yeah, OK. Bye.’ You know, one guy at the gym, I thought he was getting very angry at me, 'cause I was on my cellphone in the gym. … And I looked at him, like, ‘Geez, you know, what's with the anger?’ And he goes, ‘No, just kiddin’.’ And he's, like, ‘I know you from the show.’”

“I Am All In” launched on iHeartRadio earlier this week, and its inaugural guest was Yanic Truesdale, who played snooty hotel concierge Michel.

“He's just a kick in the pants,” Patterson said. “Any time you talk to the guy, he is a raconteur extraordinaire. And whenever we're together, we laugh a lot. We tell stories. And he was no different on this podcast. Just a great guest, and funny guy, warmhearted guy. Love him to death. And we're going to have Sally Struthers (Babette) on. We're going to have Rose Abdoo (Gypsy) on.”

“Everybody that wants to come on the show from the cast is welcome,” he added. “And, you know, we're talking to everybody. And we're tryin' to work out schedules. There's some people from the cast who are extremely busy, as you know. So we'll see how it shakes out. But it's going to be a lot of fun.”